National Rifle Association, Culprit or Scapegoat?

The recent tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has once again focused on the NRA as being a major contributor and thus received the usual, untrue, undocumented wrath from the left, repeated ad nauseam across the mainstream media spectrum.

For years now whenever there has been a major newsworthy crime incident involving firearms the NRA has been the major "go to"scapegoat of the "left". No stretch of the perceived facts are too excessive for the fertile imagination of the left to quickly point the finger of blame at the NRA as somehow being a major contributing factor to the crime. This most recent tragedy in Florida was certainly no exception.

Here are just a few examples:

Celebrities blame NRA and GOP for gun violence in Florida High School shooting

Pleas for lawmakers to stop taking contributions from the NRA

Kimberley Johnson, a Huffington Post contributor, managed to blame the NRA within just 11 minutes of a breaking local news story about the shooting.

NY Daily News Blames NRA For Orlando Shooting

A Scapegoat is defined by Webster's dictionary as: "one that is the object of irrational hostility" A Culprit is defined as: The source or cause of a problem

Is the NRA the culprit or a scapegoat?

Some NRA background is needed; The N.R.A. was founded in 1871 and in 1903 Congress recognized the N. R. A. The membership rolls now surpass a record 5 million. Roughly 20% of US presidents have, at some point, been members of the National Rifle Association.

One of the major functions of the NRA for years has been to teach gun safety and responsibility, especially to kids. Their EDDY EAGLE program for schools is designed to teach kids four steps they should take if they find a gun: Stop, don't touch, run away, and tell a grown-up. This common sense message is one that every young kid in the country should hear. Nothing in the program encourages kids to want guns, purchase guns, or shoot guns. (No, the NRA doesn't sell machine guns to school kids.) The potential harm of a gun in the wrong hands - and unprepared hands are the wrong hands - is made clear. Unfortunately, the left does not approve of this program. What's never quite explained is why the Eddie Eagle program is bad, or something to be opposed in schools

Does the NRA lobby? Yes, The NRA does lobby and contributes money to political causes and some candidates, primarily to provide support and education for the second amendment rights guaranteed under our Constitution. However, despite what the left says about the NRA's hold and control over Republican congressmen from all their (NRA) financial contributions, the total money involved is a drop in the bucket compared to most other corporate donors and PACs.

Since 1998, the NRA has donated $3,555,194 to current members of Congress,A whopping $190,000/year spread out across 400+ races. PP spent $38 million just last year. https://t.co/wnRHFHjOZQ.Planned Parenthood received $540.6 Million in Government Grants in FY 2013. Planned Parenthood killed 327,000 babies in 2014. The NRA and its members killed zero in the past year. Sean Davis (@seanmdav) October 3, 2017

But here is the real zinger!No known NRA member has ever been a perpetrator of a mass shooting. NONE, NEVER, EVER !!.

The Washington Post not exactly a friendly forum when it comes to gun rights - has failed to put forward any evidence that an NRA member ever committed a mass shooting. Indeed, the newspaper has compiled a wealth of information regarding mass shootings, dating back some 50 years, including the death toll of each shooting, type of weapons involved, and what is known of the shooters themselves. Not a single one of the 135 shooters listed was identified as a member of the NRA!

Note: The Good Guy with a Gun Who Stopped the Texas Church Shooter Was an NRA Firearms Instructor.

Had there ever been an NRA member involved in such a crime, the media would have made it the biggest news story ever!

Reliable sources show that people with CCW permits are more law abiding than the general population, even the general law enforcement population.

So the question is... Why is the left so intent on blaming the NRA for all these Shootings?

Maybe the phrase "blood on their hands" used so often by the left, should be used on the left for not putting the blame where it lies.

Most importantly, let's all work together to seek real solutions that will save lives and not waste time and lives with "straw man" blameanship!

David Sayers is a Viet Nam Veteran that served in the U.S. Army for 13 years, is airborne qualified. He Served with 82nd Airborne and 101st. David is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and is a small business owner for the past 30 years specializing in marketing and telecommunications.

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